Mercedes Active Body Control To Go 'Magic' in Next Generation

Just the Facts:

• Active Body Control v.2 tentatively named 'Magic Body Control' will be launched on new the S-Class and on CL-Class for 2013, then across the whole range.
• Magic Body Control — nicknamed 'Magic Carpet' — is inspired by technology first used on Michael Schumacher's 1990-'91 Sauber Mercedes C11 Group C car.
• Full range of Magic options to launch first with Magic Sky Control on next-gen SLK for 2011.

CANNES, France — Mercedes-Benz cars will all benefit from a full new range of premium technologies marketed under the umbrella name "Magic."

Mercedes Vice President Hans Multhaupt told Inside Line that as revolutionary as Active Body Control (ABC) has been to the upper premium segments, the next big thing is a technology named Magic Body Control.

As Multhaupt tells it, "It had its first try back at the start of the 1990s with the Sauber Mercedes team of the World Sports car Championship Group C and a young driver named Michael Schumacher." In 1990 and '91, the team's C11 sports car slaughtered the field until a special technology they had developed was finally outlawed.

Magic Body Control will, through sophisticated hydraulics, manage two frequencies of movement — one at the wheels (between 15-20 Hz) and one at the body (5-8 Hz). These disparate frequencies are a constant challenge for dynamics engineers when it comes to damping NVH.

Magic Body Control technology has been developed jointly by Daimler and ZF, which produces the current ABC. According to Multhaupt, "Everyone is so far blown away by the effects of this Magic Carpet system."

On rough, undulating pavement and in curves, the MBC bushings — inserted between the strut towers and body — work hydraulically to manage the body's reactions. In the end they eliminate 80 percent of the vibration and harshness encountered at the wheels, according to Daimler experts.

In 2011 Daimler will roll out an important range of Magic features and options, starting with a Magic Sky Control sunroof available for the new SLK's folding hardtop. This magnetorheological glass system invented by an unnamed U.S. firm and produced by Hitachi, changes from near totally clear to dark blue. It can also be used for the side windows, rear window, and in the future, in the windshield to effectively eliminate the need for sun visors. The MSC roof glass also does not affect headroom.

Magic Body Control will follow Magic Sky Control in 2012 and 2013 at the S-Class and CL-Class level, and these initial offerings will be followed by two other fresh technologies that Multhaupt refused to discuss.

Inside Line says: Given the feature wars waged by German manufacturers — with the Japanese hot on their heels — these high-tech comfort and convenience offerings from Mercedes come as no surprise. — Matt Davis, Correspondent